2018 | U.S. DOE Office of Science (SC)

Turbulence in Space Might Solve Outstanding Astrophysical Mystery

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory used powerful computers at the Princeton Institute for Computational Science and Engineering and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at the DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to simulate how the turbulence could intensify magnetic fields through what is known as the dynamo effect, in which the magnetic fields become stronger as the magnetic field lines twist and turn.

Secretary Perry, Ming Lu, and Aaron Stein

Energy Secretary Rick Perry Visits Brookhaven Lab

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry visited Brookhaven National Laboratory on Oct. 26. On site, he hosted an all-hands meeting with Brookhaven staff and toured key Department of Energy Office of Science User Facilities.

New Quantum Criticality Discovered in Superconductivity

Using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) techniques, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory discovered a new quantum criticality in a superconducting material, leading to a greater understanding of the link between magnetism and unconventional superconductivity.

Illustration of laser light setting off vibrations in material

In Materials Hit with Light, Individual Atoms and Vibrations Take Disorderly Paths

Revealed for the first time by a new X-ray laser technique, their surprisingly unruly response has profound implications for designing and controlling materials.

UT researchers Zhili Zhang (left) and Cary Smith, in association with researchers from the US Air Force, use neutrons at HFIR’s CG-1D instrument to investigate fluid flow dynamics for potentially improved fuel systems in hypersonic vehicles and other industrial spray-related applications. (Image credit: ORNL/Genevieve Martin)

Feeling the Need for Speed, Neutrons Study Fluid Flow for Hypersonic Flight

One of the grand challenges in aerospace engineering is the development of hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling at or above Mach 5—about 4,000 miles per hour or faster. However, liquid fuel combustion at those speeds and atmospheric conditions is not well understood.

Conceptual diagram of the seasonal changes at the Riverton floodplain site. (Kristin Boye)

Probing Interactions Among Molecular Mechanisms, Cellular Processes, and Elemental Cycles

Two Department of Energy user facilities, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), have selected 12 of the 41 proposals received from a joint call for 2019 research under the Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science (FICUS) initiative.

Photosynthesis Like a Moss

Moss evolved after algae but before vascular land plants, such as ferns and trees, making them an interesting target for scientists studying photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight to fuel. Now researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have made a discovery that could shed light on how plants evolved to move from the ocean to land.

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Nickel ions (blue) and oxygen ions (red) surround a dopant ion of potassium (yellow).

Quantum Predictions

With faster supercomputers and improved algorithms, scientists are studying a broad range of materials to find useful properties.

SLAC Joins New LaserNetUS Network to Boost High-intensity Laser Research

The Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has joined a new research network called LaserNetUS that aims to boost access to high-intensity laser facilities at labs and universities across the country, including the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) laser facility at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).

Kohei Fujita (left), Tsuyoshi Ichimura (middle), and Takuma Yamaguchi (right) from the University of Tokyo in Japan simulated a highly complex earthquake wave on Summit, accelerated using AI and transprecision computing. The team achieved a fourfold speedup over its state-of-the-art SC14 Gordon Bell finalist code and have again earned a finalist nomination. Image Credit: Jason Richards, ORNL

Gordon Bell Prize Finalist Code Adops AI to Model Monster Earthquakes

Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan simulated a highly complex earthquake wave on Summit, accelerated using AI and transprecision computing. The team achieved a fourfold speedup over its state-of-the-art SC14 Gordon Bell finalist code and have again earned a finalist nomination.

Improving Climate Models to Account for Plant Behavior Yields ‘Goodish’ News

Climate scientists have not been properly accounting for what plants do at night, and that, it turns out, is a mistake. A new study from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has found that plant nutrient uptake in the absence of photosynthesis affects greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.

Advanced Photon Source (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.)

Argonne's Cat Power

The Collaborative Access Teams at the Advanced Photon Source use hard X-rays to uncover details about materials that are difficult to observe and measure.